In the recent past, more than 45 people have succumbed to avoidable cases of collapsed buildings. The overall dilapidation, glaring signs of unsound construction mistakes and dodgy contracted management all spell doom for residential gloom.
However, most unsuspecting victims succumb majorly because of lack of a defined system of measure on what to look for and what it means in the construction world. This is what Cytonn Real Estate stands for; helping ease worry on your safety so you can focus on the development.
With that in mind, here are 12 things to note before moving into a new house.
1. Cracks
The existence of cracks mean that either the soil on which the foundation the house lies is moist and prone to expansion or contraction, ground movement beneath the house or faulty bricks and blocks.
Here, there are three types; horizontal cracks which indicates that the wall is on the verge of collapse, vertical cracks indicating the bricks and blocks used in the construction are faulty and widening cracks which extends either at the top or bottom indicating that the foundation has moved hence no longer strong or reliable.
2. Wet Floors, walls and molds
Wet floors on buildings indicate that the soil holding the foundation is not balanced. The moisture continually weakens the foundation and may lead to collapse.
3. Drainage System.
A proper house should have all water drainage systems directed away from the walls complete with proper gutters to ensure that minimum water, including rain, interacts with the wall.
Inside the house, all piping should desist of any leakage either in-wall or on the floor. This continuous leakage often weakens the materials used in constructions hence likely to collapse.
4. Mold and Peeling paint at the bottom of walls
Wet walls and chipped wall paints may mean that the foundation is already weak and the continuous moisture now sips into the wall or the materials used to construct the walls did not reach the set standards which would lead to collapse of a section (or the whole) of the building.
Mold only indicate that the moisture situation has been around for a longer time, therefore, the building may collapse anytime
5. Warping and Bulging
Warping and bulging of the slab and walls indicate that the building is worn out and cannot effectively hold weight. It also shows that during construction, materials used, especially for the slab, were not of good standard.
6. Location
The house location is paramount. For instance, riparian land is usually imbalanced and is likely to raise drainage issues that collapse or sink the houses. Areas with high slopes and rocky mountainous regions are also prone to landslides and earthquakes respectively.
7. Proper wiring with main switch
For movers with sizeable families, it is important to check for proper wiring to ensure that no wires are exposed and that the main switch is beyond the reach of children.
8. Legitimacy of management and owner
Sometimes, it is quite difficult to quantify the risk factor of a building, especially when new, but tracking the legitimacy of the leasing company, the owner and that of the contracted construction company may reveal the extent of ingenuity applied in the construction.
9. Mechanical equipment
Moving into a house with faulty mechanical equipment such as cooling and heating systems may cause harm in form of electrocutions. It is advisable to have a technician analyse it on your behalf.
10. Structural Design
It is also important to look at the overall design of the building you are to move into against the load you will move with or advertised load capability by constructors or leasing company.
For instance, tall slender residential buildings should raise eyebrows over the size of foundation support and load capability it can hold.
11. Far Spaced Maintenance
If the maintenance sequence is far spaced, then it is not quite clear whether the house can still effectively perform the functions intended. This can be checked through the dilapidation state of walls. Exposed wires on the other hand are a sign of poor maintenance sequence which could be fatal.
12. Impact Damage
When an impact damage happens such as a car ramming into a building, a section of it, even after repairs are done, often remains weaker hence likely to collapse later on. The extent of repairs against the damage intensity should also cause alarm. A proper surveyor can provide good analysis.
With the real estate industry going higher year after year, con men are also on the rise and ready to mislead unsuspecting clients. This is why Cytonn Real Estate, with its diverse data collection and analysis in both local and global markets, is the best fit to help you look for a house of your dreams.
Cytonn prides itself with years of excellent real estate management with a curated understanding of the market to enhance knowledge and inform concept development.
